Buttonless Conveyor Belt

ABSTRACT

A conveyor belt is made with a series of spaced apart buttonless rods. The buttonless rods are connected to each other with a plurality of links. The buttonless ends of the rods are welded or otherwise affixed to the links so that the ends of the rods are substantially coplanar with the outer surface of the links. This forms a relatively smooth link surface, which is readily cleaned and sanitized. Additionally, wear and tear is reduced on driving grip surfaces that frictionally grab onto the links.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to conveyor belts made from aplurality of longitudinally spaced rods coupled with interlocking links.More particularly, the present invention relates to conveyor beltsutilizing buttonless rods.

2. Description of Related Art

Conveyor belts are popularly used in a number of different industrialfields to provide continuous motion of goods during manufacture,shipping, and other processes. Industrial conveyor belts generallyinclude a series of spaced apart rods connected via a series ofinterlocking links which are welded to the rods. For the manufacture ofsmall items, the rods may be covered with a fabric, plastic, or metaloverlay, such as a mesh, to prevent the small items from slippingbetween the rods and falling to the manufacturing floor. A typicalconveyor belt 10 is shown in FIG. 1, which corresponds to FIG. 1 of U.S.Pat. No. 5,954,188, which is incorporated herein by reference. Conveyorbelt 10 includes rods 20 connected by links 22 covered by a mesh 14. Abuttonhead 32 is formed on the ends of rods 20 to act as a stop forlinks 22. A weld is also typically formed between buttonhead 32 and link22 for a stronger and more secure connection between rods 20 and links22.

The buttonhead configuration on the ends of the rods of a conveyor beltcan create challenges in maintaining the conveyor belt and associatedequipment. For example, if a conveyor belt is subjected to a curvy path,the conveyor belt is driven around a curve via friction between the edgeof the conveyor belt and a driving belt. The driving belt includes agrip surface which frictionally grasps the sides of the links of theconveyor belt to force the conveyor belt to follow the path of thecurve. Such grip surfaces are typically made from materials such asplastics or rubber. Because the rod buttonheads protrude significantlyfrom the outer surface of the link, the grip surface is not able tocleanly grab onto the flat surface of the leg of the link. Thebuttonheads also abrade the grip surface as the buttonheads move overthe grip surface. Over time the grip surfaces of the driving belt areworn and damaged by the buttonheads more quickly than if the drivingbelt were to contact the leg of the link or a lower profile rod end.Therefore, having a conveyor belt without buttonheads could reduce wearon the driving surface.

Furthermore, in the manufacture of food products, the ability to cleanequipment is an issue of paramount importance, so that the manufacturingplant remains sanitary so as not to contaminate the food products. Inorder to be able to clean a conveyor belt effectively, the number ofsmall crevices and protrusions on the belt capable of trapping food arepreferably minimized. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protrusion ofbuttonhead 32 from the outer surface of link 22 creates a point for theaccumulation of debris. While weld material may be used to fill thespace between buttonhead 32 and link 22, welds are typically bridgewelds and formed only over a portion of buttonhead 32. As such, abuttonhead configuration increases the difficulty of maintaining aproperly sanitized manufacturing system. Therefore, eliminating thebuttonhead from the conveyor belt design would be advantageous in thelong-term ability to keep the conveyor belt properly cleaned.

Additionally, while the buttonhead is useful during manufacturing byacting as a natural stop for links prior to welding the links inposition, forming the buttonhead on the ends of the rods may actuallyresult in increased manufacturing time. Rods are typically elongatedsteel members having ends of uniform diameter so that the links mayslide easily onto the ends of the rods. To form the buttonhead,typically an electrode is touched to the end of the rod. The electrodesapply energy sufficient to melt and deform the end of the rod into thebulbous buttonhead. The melting of the rod material in this fashionreleases carbon from the steel which accumulates on the buttonhead. Thenext processing step in the manufacture of the conveyor belt should beto weld the buttonhead to the side of the link. However, the carbonresidue inhibits a good weld between the buttonhead and the link.Therefore, the carbon residue is generally cleaned off of the buttonheadprior to welding, for example with an acid bath. Eliminating theprocessing steps of forming the buttonhead and cleaning the buttonheadcould provide significant savings in manufacturing time and complexity.

Therefore, there exists a need in the art for rod-and-link conveyorbelts made without buttonheads.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention provides a conveyor belt comprising aplurality of spaced apart buttonless rods, a plurality of linksconnecting the buttonless rods. Each link is configured to receive afirst rod end of a first rod through a circular aperture formed in thelink, with the first rod end being affixed to an outer surface of thelink.

In another aspect, each link is configured to receive a second rod endof a second rod through an elongated aperture formed in the link.

In another aspect, each of the plurality of links is generally U-shaped.

In another aspect, the first rod end is affixed to the outer surface ofthe link by welding.

In another aspect, additional weld material is applied to the first rodend and the outer surface of the link to secure the first rod end to thelink.

In another aspect, the first rod end is melted to secure the first rodend to the link.

In another aspect, the first rod end is substantially coplanar with theouter surface of the link.

In another aspect, the first rod end is flush with the outer surface ofthe link.

In another aspect, the first rod end protrudes from the outer surface ofthe link.

In another aspect, the first rod end is recessed within the circularaperture of the link.

In another aspect, additional weld material surrounds the first rodwithin the circular aperture.

In another aspect, the invention provides a conveyor belt comprising afirst buttonless rod spaced apart from a second buttonless rod, witheach buttonless rod having a right end and a left end. A right linkconnects the right end of the first rod to the right end of the secondrod, with the right end of the first rod being inserted into a circularaperture formed in the right link and the right end of the second rodbeing inserted to an elongated aperture formed in the right link. A leftlink connects the left end of the first rod to the left end of thesecond rod, with the left end of the first rod being inserted into acircular aperture formed in the left link and the left end of the secondrod being inserted to an elongated aperture formed in the left link. Thefirst rod is affixed to a first outer surface of the right link and to asecond outer surface of the left link; and at least one of the right endof the first rod is substantially coplanar with the first outer surfaceor the left end of the first rod is substantially coplanar with thesecond outer surface.

In another aspect, the right link and the left link each have a generalU-shape.

In another aspect, the right link and the left link have side-to-sidesymmetry.

In another aspect, the first buttonless rod is affixed to the right linkand to the left link by welding in at least one weld location.

In another aspect, the at least one weld location substantially coversat least one of the right end of the first rod or the left end of thefirst rod.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for making abuttonless conveyor belt comprising the steps of: (i) providing a rod ona manufacturing surface; (ii) providing a first link configured toreceive a first end of the rod on a first side of the manufacturingsurface; (iii) providing a second link configured to receive a secondend of the rod on a second side of the manufacturing surface, the secondlink being spaced apart from the first link approximately a length ofthe rod; (iv) offsetting the first link and the second link in amanufacturing direction; (v) aligning the first end of the rod with thefirst link; (vi) inserting the first end of the rod through the firstlink far enough to provide clearance between a second end of the rod andthe second link; (vii) aligning the rod with the second link byadvancing the rod in the manufacturing direction; (viii) inserting thesecond end of the first elongated rod through the second link so thatthe first end of the rod is substantially coplanar with an outer surfaceof the first link; and (ix) affixing the first end of the rod to theouter surface of the first link and the second end of the rod to theouter surface of the second link.

In another aspect, step (ix) entails welding the first end of the rod tothe outer surface of the first link and the second end of the rod to theouter surface of the second link.

In another aspect, step (vi) entails driving the rod through the firstlink with a first piston and step (vii) entails driving the rod throughthe second link with a second piston.

In another aspect, at least one of the first piston and the secondpiston is pneumatic.

In another aspect, the method includes the additional step of (x)positioning the rod so that the second end of the rod is substantiallycoplanar with an outer surface of the second link.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention willbe, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following figures and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features andadvantages be included within this description and this summary, bewithin the scope of the invention, and be protected by the followingclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art conveyor belt incorporatingrods with buttonheads;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a link of a prior art conveyor belt linkon a buttonhead rod;

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a conveyor belt incorporatingbuttonless rods according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a link of conveyor belt showing thebuttonless end of a rod;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an end of a prior artconveyor belt rod, showing the buttonhead;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an end of a conveyor beltrod according to the invention, with the end of the rod substantiallyflush with an outer wall of the link;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an end of anotherembodiment of a buttonless conveyor belt rod according to the invention,with the end of the rod recessed within the leg of the link;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an end of anotherembodiment of a buttonless conveyor belt rod according to the invention,with the end of the rod protruding from the leg of the link;

FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of an alternate embodiment of a link of abuttonless conveyor belt, showing various rod-to-link weld locations;

FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of a first step in manufacturing abuttonless conveyor belt;

FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of a second step in manufacturing abuttonless conveyor belt;

FIG. 12 shows a schematic view of a third step in manufacturing abuttonless conveyor belt; and

FIG. 13 shows a schematic view of a first step in manufacturing abuttonless conveyor belt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a prior art conveyor belt 10 formed from rods 20 connectedtogether with links 22 as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,188. A wiremesh overlay 14 covers rods 20 between links 22 to provide additionalsupport for the goods transported on conveyor belt 10. As shown in FIG.2, which shows an enlarged view of a portion of conveyor belt 10, rods20 are formed with buttonheads 32. Buttonheads 32 assist in keepinglinks 22 in position. Rods 20 are connected to links 22 via buttonheads32, such as with welds 25.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a conveyor belt 110 of the present inventionmade with a plurality of elongated buttonless rods 120 a-d. In thecontext of this application, the term “buttonless” refers to rodswithout a bulbous protrusion formed on each end. However, “buttonless”does not preclude the possibility that a small stepped area couldoverlay the link aperture so that the small stepped area issubstantially co-planar with an outer surface 134 of link 122. All rods120 are substantially similar in shape and dimension, with each rod 120a-d being an elongated cylindrical body. Each rod 120 includes a firstend 121 and a second end 123. Preferably, in this embodiment, rods 120have a uniform or substantially uniform diameter along the length of thecylindrical body, with the diameter selected based upon many factors,such as the type of goods being moved on conveyor belt 110, the width ofconveyor belt, etc. In other embodiments, rods 120 may include taperingor stepped configurations, such as those disclosed in the '188 patent.Rods 120 are preferably made from a metal material, such as steel orstainless steel.

Rods 120 are connected to each other with connective links 122.Preferably, connective links 122 have a general U-shape, with eachconnective link 122 constructed with two mirror-image legs, inner leg130 and outer leg 131 joined by a top bar 127. As the configuration ofinner leg 130 and outer leg 131 are identical save for opposingorientation, for the sake of clarity, only the structure of outer leg131 is discussed with particularity. Outer leg 131 preferably includes arelatively straight upper portion 126 connected by an outwardly-taperingtransition region 129 to a relatively straight lower portion 128. Thisconfiguration creates a wider lower opening 133 to allow for theinterconnection of links 122, as top bar 127 of one link 122 may readilyslide into a nesting relationship with lower portion 133 of an adjacentlink.

Outer leg 131 also includes two apertures to receive rod 120. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 4, outer leg 131 is provided with a generallycircular aperture 142 situated in lower portion 128 and with anelongated aperture 140 formed in upper portion 126. Starting from acenter line 108 of conveyor belt 110 (shown in FIG. 3), rod 120 passesthrough a circular aperture 142 on an inner leg 130 of a first link,both elongated apertures 140 of a second link and then through thesecond circular aperture 142 of outer leg 131 of the first link. A rodend 121 is then welded directly to an outer surface 134 of the adjacentlink in the vicinity of circular aperture 142. No buttonhead is formedon rod end 121 prior to welding rod end 121 to outer surface 134. Rodend 121 is preferably covered by the resulting weld 125.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, moving to the left from center line108, rod 120 a passes first through link 122 a and then through link 122b. A rod end 121 is then welded or otherwise affixed to an outer surface134 of link 122 a. As such, rod 120 a is fixedly attached to link 122 aso that the movement of rod 120 a also moves link 122 a. However, rod120 a is not fixedly attached to link 122 b, but merely rests withinelongated aperture 140 of link 122 b. Therefore, rod 120 a may translatewithin elongated aperture 140. This translation increases the degrees offreedom of movement of conveyor belt 110, because conveyor belt 110 maystretch, contract, or yaw by lengthening or shortening either or bothsides of conveyor belt 110 as rods 120 move within elongated apertures140. Such motion allows, for example, conveyor belt 110 to travel arounda bend.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the prior art a rod 20 including a buttonhead 32protrudes from link 22 so that buttonhead 32 may be formed from the endof the rod, such as by melting the end of rod 20 with an electrode. Onceformed, buttonhead 32 is cleaned of any carbon residue generated by thebuttonhead forming process, such as by dipping buttonhead 32 in an acidbath. After buttonhead 32 is cleaned, buttonhead 32 is welded to link atweld point 25 or in multiple weld points, as shown in FIG. 9 anddiscussed below.

However, in the present invention, as no buttonheads are included on therods, the ends of the rods need not protrude from legs of links.Instead, the ends of the rods are substantially coplanar with an outersurface 134 of an outer leg 131 of the link. In one embodiment, as shownin FIG. 6 which is a cross-sectional view of rod 120 and link 122 takenalong line 6-6 of FIG. 4, rod end 121 is flush or coplanar with an outersurface 134 of outer leg 131 of link 122 after insertion into circularaperture 142. In FIGS. 6-8, the gap between link 122 and rod 120 incircular aperture 142 is exaggerated for clarity during discussion. Inmanufacture, this gap is preferably smaller, for example, with contactbetween rod 120 and link 122 within circular aperture 142 on at least aportion of the circumferential perimeter of rod 120.

In this embodiment, weld 125 is formed over the entire surface of rodend 121, although in other embodiments, weld 125 may cover only aportion of rod end 121. Weld 125 may be formed by melting rod end 121,by applying additional weld material to rod end 121, or a combination ofthese techniques. Because rod end 121 is coplanar with outer surface oflink 122, outer surface 134 of outer leg 131 of link 122 is relativelysmooth. This smoothness prevents the accumulation of debris on link 122,decreases the difficulty of cleaning link 122, and decreases wear andtear on components which come into contact with outer surface 134 ofouter leg 131 of link 122. Such components include, for example, gripmembers of drivers which frictionally grasp outer surface 134 of link122 to drive conveyor belt 110, such as to move conveyor belt 110 arounda bend, and stationary components of conveyor systems which contactouter surface 134, such as portions of a drum used as a guide.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, a rod 220 is inserted into acircular aperture 242 of a link 222 so that a rod end 221 issubstantially coplanar with outer surface 234 of link 222. In thisembodiment, rod end 221 is slightly recessed within link 122, with aweld 225 formed over the entirety of rod end 221. Preferably, weld 225is preferably formed with additional weld material so that weld materialmay also fill a portion of circular aperture 242 to provide a smoothouter surface 234.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 8, a rod 320 is inserted into acircular aperture 342 of a link 322 so that a rod end 321 issubstantially coplanar with outer surface 334 of link 322. In thisembodiment, rod end 321 protrudes slightly from link 322, although notas significantly as prior art rod ends used to form buttonheads, asshown in FIG. 4. Rod end 321 is preferably entirely covered with a weld325, which is preferably formed by melting rod end 321 to link 322, butwhich also may be formed using additional weld material. In thisembodiment, the formation of weld 325 does not form a buttonhead, eventhough rod end 321 may be melted to form the connection between rod 320and link 322. Instead, any melting of rod end 321 is performed toflatten and smooth rod end 321 so that outer surface 334 of link 322 maybe as smooth as possible to decrease wear on a driving surface, and toprevent the accumulation of debris on link 322 and to decrease thedifficulty of cleaning link 322. Preferably, the gap between link 322and rod 320 is at least partially filled with material, either meltedrod material or additional weld material. In one embodiment, the gap isabout 20% to about 50% filled. In other embodiments, the gap iscompletely or substantially completely filled. In yet other embodiments,the gap is not filled at all.

The connective links joining together the buttonless rods are notlimited in configuration to those shown above. The configuration of theconnective links may be simpler than link 122 shown above, for examplewhere each leg of the link includes a single straight portion.Alternatively, the configuration of the connective link may be moreinvolved for certain applications. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 aconnective link 422 is shown. Connective link 422 includes an inner leg430 and an outer leg 431 connected by a top bar 427. Inner leg 430 andouter leg 431 are mirror images of each other to provide symmetry forlink 422, although in other embodiments, link 422 may be asymmetrical.Connective link 422 is further described in European patent applicationpublication EP 1498367 Al, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 9 also shows various locations for welding link 422 to rod 420. Inaddition to or instead of the welds that completely cover a rod end,such as weld 125 shown in FIG. 4, link 422 may be welded to rod 420 inseveral locations. For example, first weld 425 a is positioned on rod420 and outer surface of outer leg 431 at or near the point at whichfirst transition portion 429 a meets middle portion 434 a. Second weld425 b is formed on rod 420 and outer surface of outer leg 431 at or nearthe point at which second transition portion 435 a meets middle portion434 a. Complementary welds are formed in the same general positions asfirst weld 425 a and second weld 425 b, but on the opposite side ofouter leg 431. Third weld 425 c is formed on rod 420 and an innersurface of outer leg 431 at or near the point at which first transitionportion 429 a meets middle portion 343 a. Fourth weld 425 d is formed onrod 420 and inner surface of outer leg 431 at or near the point at whichsecond transition portion 435 a meets middle portion 434 a.

Inner leg 430 includes similar welds at similar positions as thosedescribed for outer leg 431: a fifth weld 425 e corresponding to thirdweld 425 c; a sixth weld 425 f corresponding to fourth weld 425 d; aseventh weld 425 g corresponding to first weld 425 a; and an eighth weld425 h corresponding to second weld 425 b. Any of welds 425 a-h mayoptionally be included on any link of a conveyor belt such as conveyorbelt 110 shown in FIG. 3. In configurations such as those shown in FIG.5, where rod end 121 is entirely covered by a single weld 125, anycombination of third through eighth welds 425 c-h may optionally beincluded. Additional welds increase the strength of the conveyor belt,which may be desired, depending upon the intended use of the conveyorbelt.

To make a conveyor belt without buttonheads, such as conveyor belt 110as described above, links such as those described above are provided oneither side of a rod on a manufacturing surface 550. The links arepreferably secured in a mechanism which can both hold the link inposition and assure the orientation of the link, such as a magazine,guide rails fed by an orientation-selecting hopper, or the like. Themanufacturing surface 550 is preferably a flat or relatively flathorizontal surface, such as a table, or a series of split flat orrelatively flat horizontal surfaces, such as the rails of a machine.However, in other embodiments, the surface may be vertical, acombination of horizontal and vertical surfaces, or curved surfaces.

During manufacture, rod 520 is advanced in a manufacturing direction,which is defined to be the direction in which rod 520 is moved in orderto perform an additional processing step. For example, the manufacturingdirection may be horizontally along the manufacturing surface 550. Rod520 may be moved by any mechanism known in the art, such as via a clipsecured to a driven belt or chain (not shown) or by the force ofadditional rods being fed onto the manufacturing surface 550 followingrod 520.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 10, the links on one side of rod 520 areoffset in the direction of manufacturing from the links on the otherside of rod 520, so that rod encounters the links on one side of rod 520prior to the links on the other side of rod 520. In one embodiment, thefirst link 522 a is encountered on the left side of rod 520, with thelink on the right side of rod 520 offset in the direction ofmanufacturing. However, in other embodiments, the first link 522 a willbe on the right side of rod 520. In such an embodiment, the motion ofrod 520 will oppose the motion of rod 520 as described below, whichassumes that the first link 522 a is on the left side of rod 520.

As manufacturing commences, first link 522 a is positioned to receiverod 520 on the left side of the manufacturing surface 550. A second link522 b is positioned adjacent to the first link 522 a so that theelongated apertures 540 of the second link 522 b are aligned with thecircular apertures 542 of the first link 522 a. Rod 520 is preferablycentered on the manufacturing surface 550 and advanced toward the links.As first link 522 a is positioned on the left side of rod 520, rod 520may alternatively be shifted slightly toward the right side of themanufacturing surface 550.

In the next step of manufacturing, as shown in FIG. 11, a shiftingmechanism 554, such as a pneumatic or hydraulic driven piston, pushes onsecond end 523 of rod 520. Rod 520 moves toward the left side of themanufacturing surface 550, as indicated by the arrow, and is fed throughcircular apertures 542 of the first link 522 a and elongated apertures540 of the second link 522 b to connect the first and second link 522 a,522 b. Rod 520 is pushed through links 522 a, 522 b so that a portion570 of rod 520 protrudes through away from an outer surface 534 of anouter leg 531 of first link 522 a. As such, rod 520 is shifted towardthe left side of the manufacturing surface 550 so that there issufficient clearance of between the right side edge of rod 520 and thelinks positioned on the right side of the manufacturing surface 550.

As shown in FIG. 12, rod 520 and links 522 a, 522 b are advanced in themanufacturing direction to the next process station. A third link 622 ais positioned to receive rod 520 on the right side of the manufacturingsurface 550. As with the links on the left side of the manufacturingsurface 550, a fourth link 622 b is positioned adjacent to the thirdlink 622 a so that the elongated apertures 640 of fourth link 622 b arealigned with the circular apertures 642 of the third link 622 a.

As shown in FIG. 13, rod 520 is then advanced toward the linkspositioned on the right side of the manufacturing surface 550 andaligned with the circular apertures 642 of the third link 622 a. Asecond shifting mechanism 555, such as a second driven piston positionedon the left side of the manufacturing surface 550, pushes rod 520 towardthe right side of the manufacturing surface 550, as indicated by thearrow. Rod 520 is thus fed through circular apertures 642 of the thirdlink 622 a and the elongated apertures 640 of fourth link 622 b so as toconnect the third and fourth links 622 a, 622 b. Rod 520 is only pushedtoward the right side of the manufacturing surface 550 sufficiently faras to connect the third and fourth link 622 a, 622 b but no so far as todisengage rod 520 from the first and second link 522 a, 522 b.Preferably, rod 520 is now centered on the manufacturing surface 550,with first rod end 521 flush with outer surface 534 of the outer leg 531of first link 522 a and second rod end 523 flush with outer surface 634of outer leg 631 of second link 622 a. In other embodiments, rod ends521, 523 may be slightly recessed within outer legs 531, 631 of thefirst link 522 a and third link 622 a, respectively, or slightlyprotruding from first link 522 a and third link 622 a.

In a final step, which is not shown, rod 520 and links 522 a, 522 b, 622a, and 622 b are advanced again to welding stations 556, 558 situated onboth sides of the manufacturing surface 550. Welding stations 556, 558preferably include welding electrodes, such as those of a plasma weldingmachine or any other type of welding machine, connected to a weldingcontrol center, and, optionally, a feeder for weld material. Rod endsare aligned with the welding electrodes 556, 558, which supply energysufficient to melt rod ends to the outer surfaces 534, 634 of first link522 a and third link 622 a, respectively, to secure rod 520 to the linksin the vicinity of the circular apertures. In other embodiments,additional weld material is applied to the interface of rod end and theouter surface of the link and melted by the welding electrodes to securerod end to the outer surface of the link. Weld material may cover only aportion of rod end or may cover the entire outer surface of rod end.Both ends of rod 520 may be welded to the links simultaneously, or thewelding may be done sequentially.

In some embodiments, the welding electrodes are mounted to themanufacturing surface in a stationary fashion, so that the weldingelectrodes are positioned in relation to the links so that the rod maybe welded to the link on the outer surface of the outer legs of thelinks. In other embodiments, however, the welding electrodes are movablymounted to the manufacturing surface so that the welding electrodes mayapply energy to multiple locations on the links, such as those locationsshown in FIG. 9, including on the inner legs of the links.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, thedescription is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and itwill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreembodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scopeof the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restrictedexcept in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also,various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of theattached claims.

1. A conveyor belt comprising: a plurality of spaced apart buttonlessrods; a plurality of links connecting the buttonless rods, each linkconfigured to receive a first rod end of a first rod through a circularaperture formed in the link; and the first rod end being affixed to anouter surface of the link.
 2. The conveyor belt of claim 1, each linkconfigured to receive a second rod end of a second rod through anelongated aperture formed in the link.
 3. The conveyor belt of claim 1,the plurality of links being generally U-shaped.
 4. The conveyor belt ofclaim 1, the first rod end being affixed to the outer surface of thelink by welding.
 5. The conveyor belt of claim 4, additional weldmaterial being applied to the first rod end and the outer surface of thelink to secure the first rod end to the link.
 6. The conveyor belt ofclaim 4, the first rod end being melted to secure the first rod end tothe link.
 7. The conveyor belt of claim 1, the first rod end beingsubstantially coplanar with the outer surface of the link.
 8. Theconveyor belt of claim 7, the first rod end being flush with the outersurface of the link.
 9. The conveyor belt of claim 7, the first rod endprotruding from the outer surface of the link.
 10. The conveyor belt ofclaim 7, the first rod end being recessed within the circular apertureof the link.
 11. The conveyor belt of claim 10, additional weld materialsurrounding the first rod within the circular aperture.
 12. A conveyorbelt comprising: a first buttonless rod spaced apart from a secondbuttonless rod, with each buttonless rod having a right end and a leftend; a right link connecting the right end of the first rod to the rightend of the second rod, with the right end of the first rod beinginserted into a circular aperture formed in the right link and the rightend of the second rod being inserted to an elongated aperture formed inthe right link; a left link connecting the left end of the first rod tothe left end of the second rod, with the left end of the first rod beinginserted into a circular aperture formed in the left link and the leftend of the second rod being inserted to an elongated aperture formed inthe left link; the first rod being affixed to a first outer surface ofthe right link and to a second outer surface of the left link; and atleast one of the right end of the first rod is substantially coplanarwith the first outer surface or the left end of the first rod issubstantially coplanar with the second outer surface.
 13. The conveyorbelt of claim 12, the right link and the left link having a generalU-shape.
 14. The conveyor belt of claim 13, the right link and the leftlink having side-to-side symmetry.
 15. The conveyor belt of claim 12,the first buttonless rod being affixed to the right link and to the leftlink by welding in at least one weld location.
 16. The conveyor belt ofclaim 15, the at least one weld location substantially covering at leastone of the right end of the first rod or the left end of the first rod.17. A method for making a conveyor belt comprising the steps of: (i)providing a rod on a manufacturing surface; (ii) providing a first linkconfigured to receive a first end of the rod on a first side of themanufacturing surface; (iii) providing a second link configured toreceive a second end of the rod on a second side of the manufacturingsurface, the second link being spaced apart from the first linkapproximately a length of the rod; (iv) offsetting the first link andthe second link in a manufacturing direction; (v) aligning the first endof the rod with the first link; (vi) inserting the first end of the rodthrough the first link far enough to provide clearance between a secondend of the rod and the second link; (vii) aligning the rod with thesecond link by advancing the rod in the manufacturing direction; (viii)inserting the second end of the first elongated rod through the secondlink so that the first end of the rod is substantially coplanar with anouter surface of the first link; and (ix) affixing the first end of therod to the outer surface of the first link and the second end of the rodto the outer surface of the second link.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein step (ix) entails welding the first end of the rod to the outersurface of the first link and the second end of the rod to the outersurface of the second link.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein step(vi) entails driving the rod through the first link with a first pistonand step (vii) entails driving the rod through the second link with asecond piston.
 20. The method of claim 19, at least one of the firstpiston and the second piston being pneumatic.
 21. The method of claim17, further comprising the step of (x) positioning the rod so that thesecond end of the rod is substantially coplanar with an outer surface ofthe second link.